My divorce was final July 2017, but I forgot to change from Married filing Separate to Single with HR. Can I still file Married/sep since I was married over 1/2yr?

posted

Connect with an expert

1 Best answer

Accepted Solutions

My divorce was final July 2017, but I forgot to change from Married filing Separate to Single with HR. Can I still file Married/sep since I was married over 1/2yr?

No. What you file at work (form W-4) is only an estimate for withholding purposes. It does not lock you in to how you have to file a tax time.

You cannot file married filing separately (MFS) because you were not married on 12-31-17. More importantly, you do not want to file MFS. Single is much better. If you have a dependent at home, you may qualify for Head of Household filing status, which is even better.

View solution in original post

1 Reply

My divorce was final July 2017, but I forgot to change from Married filing Separate to Single with HR. Can I still file Married/sep since I was married over 1/2yr?

No. What you file at work (form W-4) is only an estimate for withholding purposes. It does not lock you in to how you have to file a tax time.

You cannot file married filing separately (MFS) because you were not married on 12-31-17. More importantly, you do not want to file MFS. Single is much better. If you have a dependent at home, you may qualify for Head of Household filing status, which is even better.

Still have questions?